// SPECIES PROFILE · CROP · NON-INVASIVE / CULTIVATED

Cosmos

Cosmos bipinnatus

Cosmos is the Mexican annual that loves Oklahoma's poor soils — too rich a soil produces lush green leaves and few flowers, while a hot dry corner produces clouds of pink, white, magenta, or chocolate-burgundy daisies on ferny foliage all summer.

// QUICK FACTS

Family: Asteraceae
Group: crop
Native range: Native to Mexico (well-behaved in OK)
USDA hardiness: Annual; reseeds modestly
Mature size: 3–6 ft
Sun: Full sun
Water: Drought-extremely-hardy
Wildlife value: Excellent for native bees, butterflies, syrphid flies
Ecological role: non-invasive annual · soft pink/white drift · pollinator generalist

Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) — *Cosmos bipinnatus*. Photo via Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons.

Field Notes

[ growing · ecology · siting · care ]

Direct-sow after last frost in lean soil. Self-sows lightly but never weedy. The 'Sensation' mix and 'Cupcakes' are top heirloom varieties; 'Chocolate Cosmos' (C. atrosanguineus) is a true tender perennial with chocolate-scented flowers.

Why it's on this list: non-invasive annual · soft pink/white drift · pollinator generalist. Part of Rooted Revival's NE Oklahoma plant catalog — natives, ecologically positive non-invasive cultivars, and food crops worth growing in the Tulsa region.

Companion Planting

[ guild · polyculture · cross-layer pairings ]

In a kitchen-garden polyculture, cosmos pairs naturally with: american persimmon (Diospyros virginiana), american beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), maypop / passionflower (Passiflora incarnata), comfrey (Symphytum officinale), mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia), and black cherry (Prunus serotina).

In a polyculture bed, cosmos pairs with the partners above for pest deterrence, pollination, and soil-building.

Photo Reference

// Cosmos bipinnatus — Girasol morado
Photo: juliette97257 (iNaturalist, CC-BY-NC)

// Cosmos bipinnatus — Kosmos podwójnie pierzasty
Photo: maria_blachut (iNaturalist, None)

// Cosmos bipinnatus — garden cosmos
Photo: envy_eao (iNaturalist, CC-BY-NC)